


Stupid Bird

by NoisyNoiverns



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Brotherhood, Childhood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-16
Updated: 2015-08-16
Packaged: 2018-04-15 02:40:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 714
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4589958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NoisyNoiverns/pseuds/NoisyNoiverns
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Desolas is on babysitting duty. It's not exactly what he was planning to do with his shore leave.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stupid Bird

**Author's Note:**

  * For [](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts).



> A birthday gift for a very good friend of mine. Happy birthday, you trash, you.

Desolas cracked open an eye and glanced around for a moment before settling on his baby brother, sitting with his back to him so he could watch whatever inane vid their mother had put in for him to watch. A low, distant hum told him their father was still out working, and their mother would have woken him if she’d gotten home, so she was still out at the store.

Saren didn’t look like he’d hurt himself, or really even moved since Desolas had closed his eyes.

He could go back to sleep.

He let out a long, low groan as he rolled over to face the back of the couch, closing his eyes again. Saren was fine, he didn’t need _that_ much supervision. Besides, Desolas hadn’t gotten leave so he could _babysit_.

 He changed his mind when he heard a scrabbling of claws on the floor and a loud thud.

He sat up quickly, standing up just enough to see Saren had started to round the coffee table and fallen flat on his face. “Spirits. Saren?”

His baby brother picked his head up and shook it a bit, then looked up at him and chirped, stubby mandibles tapping against his jaw plates.

Desolas sighed and scooped him up. “Can’t you sit still for ten minutes?” he scolded. “You’re going to get yourself hurt, and then I’ll be in trouble. I didn’t come home so I could get grounded, you know.”

Saren just burbled and clicked at him, hooking his nubby little claws over the edge of his cowl. He suppressed a sigh and sat back down, his mother’s words from earlier echoing in his head. _He’s only a few months old, be nice_ , she had scolded when he’d gotten mad over Saren trying to take his food. _He doesn’t understand yet. He’s just a baby_.

Baby or not, he was annoying.

Desolas let out a loud groan and flopped over, ignoring Saren’s squeal of delight and indications he wanted to do it again. “ _You’re going to be a brother_ , they said,” he muttered, glaring up at the ceiling. “ _It’ll be fun_ , they said.”

Saren chittered at him, little talons clicking against his keelbone, and he sighed. “What do you want _now_?”

Saren just peeped, and he grumbled to himself. “Dumb kid. Watch your stupid vid and leave me alone.”

He tried to close his eyes and go back to his nap, but Saren had other plans. His little toe-claws dug into the gaps between Desolas’ plates, and Desolas winced, opening his eyes with a gasp as Saren clambered up on top of him. “Saren!”

Saren just looked down at him and cooed curiously. Desolas squinted, the overhead light only partially blocked by the short spikes that would eventually grow into Saren’s crest. It looked like there was a circle of light surrounding his baby brother’s head.

It would have been cute if it wasn’t searing his retinas off.

He scowled and turned his head, pushing his face into the pillows. “Watch the dumb vid, I said,” he huffed.

Saren made a little chirp, then settled back, and the room was peaceful again, though now Desolas had an extra weight on his abdomen. Oh, well. He closed his eyes again and let out a little yawn.

From above him, he heard Saren mirror his yawn as he drifted back off to sleep.

* * *

 

“Desolas. Desolas, sweetheart, come on, time to get up.”

Desolas slowly opened his eyes, then sat up quickly, looking around. “Huh?”

His mother chuckled, arranging Saren against her cowl. “Shh, shh. Your brother’s sleeping.”

He felt his neck heat up. “I, uh, I didn’t mean to fall asleep, I swear-“

“Desolas, shh. It’s alright. No harm done. I got home and Saren was sleeping on top of you.” She hummed and scratched the top of his crest. “I’m going to go put him in his room. Go bring in the groceries, would you? And if you run into your dad, make sure he washes his hands before he touches the food, I don’t want clay getting everywhere.”

He nodded mutely, and she turned and walked off, cooing softly to Saren as he slept. He watched her go, then sighed and pushed himself to his feet.

Okay, maybe his brother wasn’t _so_ bad.


End file.
